SEOUL: North Korea on Saturday test-fired three short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported this regarding the army. Yonhap quoted South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) as saying that North Korea test-fired a missile from Chunghwa County in Hwange Province around 8 a.m. local time on Saturday.
“Our military is fully prepared to cooperate closely with the US while strengthening surveillance and vigilance,” the JCS said in a statement on Saturday. The three ballistic missiles flew a distance of 350 kilometers (217 miles), reaching a maximum altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles), Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported, citing the Defense Ministry. All missiles fell outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Earlier on Saturday, Yonhap news agency reported that Pyongyang test-fired a ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan, while Japanese media reported two suspected launches. According to Japanese media reports, Prime Minister Fumiokishida has instructed relevant ministries to conduct a detailed analysis of North Korea’s experiment last week, and a crisis response center has been established under the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office. No damage was reported.
According to media reports, Japan has expressed its opposition to North Korea’s test conducted on Saturday. North Korea has conducted about 40 tests this year, including about 70 missile launches, including an intercontinental ballistic missile test in November.
